CIO Symmetry

Bloggers are showing up everywhere now. Every event, every topic, everything is being blogged about. BlogWorld reports over 57 million Americans read blogs and 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs.That’s a lot of blogging.

Politicians are tapping into the power of the blog by inviting bloggers to their big events – and treating them very well once they’re there. During the Democratic National Convention (DNC), bloggers got respect , great seats (as well as a “bloggers lounge”) and a chance to have their voices heard… or rather, read.

CNN recently reported on the appearance and importance of bloggers at the DNC in Denver, stating, “…there’s a hunger for personalized information tailored to specific audiences.” Obviously the Democrats noticed this too because they issued 120 credentials for bloggers at the event. Especially when it comes to voting for the next president, people want to feel a connection to the cause. And comfortable.Reading a blog post that interests you (if done correctly) kind of makes you feel like you’re catching up with a witty, knowledgeable friend. It’s like a conversation, in some ways.

OK, I know what you’re thinking: blogs are important to relay news and current events, but why should blogs matter to me?

As you probably know, business blogs are popping up everywhere. Companies of all shapes and sizes have started blogging. From Microsoft to Kodak, from large corporations to small businesses — they’ve become an important part of the business landscape.

Why?

Well, aside from reaching out to millions of readers around the world, business blogs do a lot of good for the company. You have the opportunity to build customer relationships, test out new ideas and products, promote these new products and share your “guru-like” company knowledge. And, blogs also provide a little bit of healthy competition amongst your employees (Who has the best blog? Who looks the most knowledgeable? You get the picture…)

On top of all that, it seems blogs are here to stay. We were first introduced to blogs in 2005 and in three years they’ve gone from personal to professional. We’ve been able to weave them into practically every facet of our lives (go to Google and search for just about any topic and I can almost guarantee there’s a blog for it). From a business perspective, they’re a way to reach out from within the company without necessarily involving marketing or public relations. And they allow a little bit of your personality to shine through – a valuable aspect as human interaction falls to the wayside in our total techno-world.

It’s a good time to blog. Don’t have your own blog? Try your hand at one and let me know how it goes (may I recommend IT Knowledge Exchange (ITKE)?)

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